Leonora Hale

Beloved Mother, Grandmother, Great-Grandmother, and friend. She was born January 6, 1932 , in the Philippines. It was there that she met her late husband, of 43 years, James Hale. Shortly after marrying Jim, Nora moved to the United States with all 4 of her kids in tow. Nora and Jim were happily married and traveled often on fishing trips or even to gamble a little. After retirement, they briefly moved to Las Vegas before realizing they would rather be back in California with family.

Nora was greatly loved by everyone she met. She was a kind woman with such a giving heart, but also had rock solid strength to protect her family in every aspect possible. Nora was a dedicated wife who cared for her husband until his very last breath. She opened her home to family members and even gave when she didn't have much to give. She was the kind of woman who always made sure you left her home well-fed and with some kind of botanical life form.

Nora was an avid gardener. Needless to say, gardening was her favorite pass time. The most memorable of gardens she had, was when she lived in Lake Elsinore. Almost every Easter, her grandchildren would have an easter egg hunt in her beautiful and large garden decorated with large amount of rose bushes. She loved roses and had quite the talent of getting them to grow so abundantly. When she wasn't busy gardening, you could find her sitting on her sofa crocheting away. She loved to crochet blankets, throw pillow covers,etc.

Nora was nothing short of amazing. She was known as "the rock" of the family. Being a two-time cancer survivor, there was nothing that would physically keep her from living her life the way she chose. Nora survived thyroid cancer in the 70's only to turn around and beat esophageal cancer in 2004. She was a feisty little fighter, and fought till the very end.

Nora leaves her legacy behind through a family that started off with just 6 members, to a family of over 40 members strong.

She showed us the true difference between "living" and being "alive"...